


Give Me Your Hand

by ThisIsWhereTrashGoes



Series: The King of Hearts verse [4]
Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Devil was a mortal au, Dice is an empath(of sorts)!au, M/M, The Devil is a sore loser, request prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 08:58:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16082801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsWhereTrashGoes/pseuds/ThisIsWhereTrashGoes
Summary: A request prompt from an OTP Quotes Challenge!#28 - "Give me your hand"





	Give Me Your Hand

He had… _grossly_ underestimated those two cup brothers.

He knew that they had been growing stronger and he had to admit that he’d been impressed that they’d managed to take back all those lost soul contracts.

Walking up to the steps of the casino with pride and fierce determination.

Sure, he’d betted against them.

And sure, he never liked to lose a bet.

But his choice to take on those brothers in battle wasn’t about that.

Well, it was a _little_ about that, but it was mainly about keeping them away from the boss. This game had gone on long enough and he needed to nip that problem in the bud before they could get a chance to get to him. After all, he knew those boys weren’t going to just hand over those contracts.

He recognized that look in their eyes.

These boys were looking for a _fight_.

So he gave it to them.

Though he never thought that he would actually _lose_. Especially not like this.

He groaned as he came to, lolling his head to the side to see his precious casino in disarray. His staff had fallen just as he had, still unconscious as they laid in crumpled heaps on the floor.

And then there were his cards. His ever faithful little bodyguards, haphazardly strewn around him.

What a mess.

He ran a hand down his face with a sigh. The boss was not going to be happy with him. Still, those two little bastards would get what was coming to them. The boss would surely cut those two down a size.

At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself.

Trying to shove down the worry that was bubbling up inside him, because this was the _Devil_. Those two couldn’t…

Could they?

He laid there on his once pristine floors with baited breath.

He let out a breath. The casino was unnervingly quiet.

He couldn’t take much more of this. He had to check, just to be sure.

Black eyes turned to green, and suddenly, a rush of emotions forced itself into his body with an intensity that he wasn’t ready for.

There was _frustration_.

There was _anger_.

 _Desperation_.

 _Fear_.

And a sense of resentment that, mixed with agony, created such a toxic mix that it left Dice choking on sobs that weren’t even his own.

And his heart sank.

Part of him reasoned that these feelings belonged to those two brats.

But he _knew_ better.

He coughed, wheezing as he struggled to get up. Pushing himself to his feet, he forced his way out the front door and towards the Devil’s quarters.

The place was in as bad, if not _worse_ , state than the casino. Dice managed to force his body forward, running on pure adrenaline, to weed through the wreckage, frantically looking for one of the few people that really mattered anymore.

And when he found him, the demon was curled in on himself, body littered with various cuts and bruises. Fur matted with blood and one horn broken in half.

His ears twitched towards Dice’s direction.

Then, suddenly, the hurricane of emotions suddenly ran dry, leaving behind a strange _ache_ in Dice’s heart as the Devil put back up his mental barriers. The boss, frustratingly, always knew just how to shut him out at the worst of times.

Dice narrowed his eyes and tried to move closer.

Only for the ground to violently shake, the ground bursting apart to create a more physical barrier between the two.

“Boss!”

“Get _lost_ , Dice!” The Devil snarled, before burying his head further into his knees.

But he didn’t stop. With a huff, Dice teleported to the other side of the barricade and continued forward. This time the ground _lurched_ to the right and the ground split in two. He nearly lost his balance, quickly forcing his weight backwards to regain his footing. His heart raced in his chest.

He sucked in a breath, trying to keep his composure.

“I get it!” Dice hissed, taking a step back as the ground trembled underneath him. “You’re upset. We’ve lost to the likes of those two. But, this… _this_ doesn’t _mean_ anythin’! We can—”

“I said leave me alone!” The Devil roared, cracks ripping through the walls.

God, if he wasn’t careful, the whole damn place might fall apart.

“Boss, you need to calm down before you reduce the whole place to nothin’ but rubble!”

“Good! Good riddance to this place!” The Devil seethed. “Should just leave. Let this dump _rot…_ and try to erase what happened ‘ere…”

But Dice refused to just let this place go to hell just because the Devil was busy throwing a temper tantrum. He’d put in too many years and worked too _goddamn_ hard to let this casino fall.

And more importantly, he wasn’t about to let the Devil run off to wallow in his own misery.

He’s never seen him in such a state and Dice was determined to rectify the situation as quickly as possible.

 _Oh_ , if he _ever_ saw those two little _crumb snatchers_ again…

“So that’s it, then?” He shouted as the tower continued to rumble all around him. “A couple of mugs make ya cry and you’re just gonna tuck your tail between your legs and _run_?” He braced himself as the ground jerked to the right. “So, your pride’s hurt! And? Are you really gonna let them get away with this? Because the moment you turn your back and leave this place to _rot_ is the moment that you’ve truly lost! That’s when you let them _win_! Trust me, we can get this place back together! What does one lost matter in the grand scheme of things, yeah?”

“It isn’t _just_ about _them_.” The Devil glowered. The venom in his voice sent chills down Dice’s spine. “It isn’t _just_ because of some goddamn _ego._ ”

Dice didn’t understand. What was he missing?

“You wouldn’t understand…”

And Dice frowned, teleporting closer to the demon. Those green eyes watching the other being as he gently prodded at that invisible wall between them.

Like a gentle knock asking to be let in.

“Then _let me_ understand.” He insisted. “Please.”

“Stop tryin’ to get in my ‘ead, Dice.” He scowled, but that rage had simmered down to something else. Something that sounded like a man who was on the verge of giving up.  

And Dice felt that familiar nagging urge to _help_ tugging at his heart. The part of his nature he could never fully suppress.

He took a step forward and the Devil’s fur bristled. “I said _leave_.”

“Trust me, I heard ya the first time. Don’t mean I got any plans of listenin’ to ya.” He said, sighing after a moment of silence. Green eyes faded back to black and Dice moved even closer.

“ **Give me your hand.** ”

The Devil’s ears twitched in annoyance. “What?”

But Dice didn’t respond, moving in front of the other. He grunted, ignoring the flare of pain in his side as he got down on his knees. He reached out, the Devil watching him intently, and gently took the demon’s hands into his own. He sighed softly, intertwining their fingers together. “I don’t understand.” He muttered. “But I want to.”

But the Devil only looked away, keeping silent.

“I won’t pry, then. But, I also won’t just leave ya just leave, either. Runnin’ ain’t the answer here. This place is a mess and everyone is a little worse for wear, but this _ain’t_ the way this story ends. Not for them. Not for me. Not for you. And not for _us_ , understand?” He leaned in close, letting his fingers gently thread through dark fur as he cupped his face. “Give me some time, yeah? I’ll turn all of this around, just you wait. I’ll get this place back up an’ runnin’. You’ll be on _top_ once again, baby. _Trust me_.” He smiled, tilting the Devil’s head up to look at him. “Okay?”

And the demon sighed, leaning into the touch. “…Okay.” He sighed, sagging his shoulders a bit in defeat.

“Good. Now, let’s get ya all cleaned up. Some of these look quite nasty.” He hummed, brushing his thumb against blood stained fur. “And make sure the others are alright. But before all that, I think it’s best we get outta here before the whole place comes down.”

And the Devil nodded before they quickly took their leave, watching as the tower crumbled into rubble from a safe distance away.

But it was okay.

Things were bad now, but Dice was already making plans for their recovery.

They would come back bigger and _better_ than before.

And the next time those brothers showed up, they’d be _ready._

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated!


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